Timeline will tell the story of Facebook users' whole lives. But only if they
choose to share it, says Lottie Winter.

Over the next few weeks Facebook users will be forced to adopt Timeline, the social network's new layout that is supposed to "tell your life story through photos, friendships and personal milestones like graduating or travelling to new places." Until then, Timeline is optional, and users are given a warning seven days before the switchover so they can tweak their profiles.

This announcement has caused considerable uproar among the website's 800 million users. So, as an avid Facebook user myself, I decided to check it out. Frankly I wanted to defend my old-style page – and join my friends in their endless ranting about the new setup.

Prepping myself for some desperate deleting, I hit the “get Timeline” option. I frantically checked my personal information for the privacy settings, almost expecting to see that everything was changed to “public” and that every single Facebook user in existence would be able to browse my personal details.

But to my surprise, and considerable relief, my privacy settings were still on the same settings I have had for the last five years. My posts are still ordered by date, although somewhat more obviously given that it is a timeline. I even quite enjoyed picking a "cover" for my page and decided to go live immediately (they gave me seven days to tweak my settings; it took about seven minutes). Another bonus: the 60 new apps that Facebook has created in a bid to increase support for Timeline, which enable users to share music and other activities, all from within the Facebook website.

In short, it's not so bad after all. Many users have protested that embarrassing photos will be easier to locate, as it will be possible to select a specific year rather than just aimlessly scrolling. However, people seem to be forgetting that the privacy settings are just as capable of protecting that humiliating photo from back in 2007 as they ever were.

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Another complaint is that the design will bring up unpleasant memories from the past as users can see every post from a specific year at the click of a button. But I found it hilarious flicking through wall posts and stories from five years ago and I wonder how sinister a Facebook post could possibly be to generate such worry from other users.

According to Mark Zuckerberg, who spoke at the company’s annual developers’ conference in San Francisco last September, Timeline will enable users to create a much more visual profile and tell the story of their whole lives. If they choose to share it that is. So take note, people: that doesn’t mean you have to upload a compulsory baby photo.

It seems that a lot of fuss is generated every time Facebook makes any changes to their layout, and this is especially true of Timeline. What users so easily forget is that Facebook has been making alterations to their look for years now. Timeline is just the newest in a long string of designs for our Facebook page.

People get emotionally attached to their profiles, me included, and feel uneasy when the powers that be change it without consent. But it is safe to say that when given time to acclimatise, the features users so violently reject now will be ferociously defended when Facebook comes up with their next new idea.

If you don't believe me, search for Facebook groups called "Bring back the Old Facebook Design" – there are dozens of them, mostly dated 2009, and now long forgotten.